Business Applications Specialist

The Business Applications Specialist, reporting to the Associate Director of Systems and Business Applications, will share responsibility with the Systems team in supporting these solutions, fostering a tenant experience befitting the Ivy League.  Job-Specific Responsibilities Application Management & Support • Administer and support systems and applications used for daily property management operations, including overseeing related projects, upgrades and software/hardware maintenance and installations. • Oversee application support and serve as a level-2 point of contact for application-related issues, troubleshooting, and escalation. • Manage system configurations, user access, roles, and security settings. Business Process Optimization • Analyze current workflows across leasing, maintenance, accounting, and tenant services and identify opportunities to improve efficiencies through system enhancements and automation. • Partner with stakeholders to define business requirements, design processes and implement best practices. System Integration & Data Management • Oversee integrations between property management systems and third-party tools. • Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity across systems. • Develop and maintain reports, dashboards, and data extracts for business insights. Project Leadership • Assume a supporting role in system implementation / upgrade / migration projects, and a leading role in small projects. • Collaborate with vendors and internal teams to deliver projects on time and within scope. • Document requirements, test solutions, and manage change control processes. Training & Documentation • Develop and maintain user guides, SOPs, and training materials. • Conduct training sessions for staff on new features, systems, and best practices. • Act as a subject matter expert for business applications. Vendor & Stakeholder Management • Liaise with software vendors to resolve issues and evaluate new features. • Work closely with property managers, finance teams, leasing, community programming team, and other Harvard teams to align systems with business needs. Working Conditions: • Candidate will need to travel periodically to HUHRE properties and management offices, and possibly navigate stairs in order to monitor and test technical building components. • Candidate may occasionally need to lift/carry/transport a hardware component weighing as much as 20 pounds.  • Candidate may occasionally need to perform work in confined spaces which may be not be climate-controlled. Basic Qualifications: The successful candidate will possess a systems mindset and at least several of the following: • Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Business Administration, or related field • 5+ years of experience supporting business applications, preferably in property management or real estate • Hands-on experience with property management software (e.g., Yardi, MRI, RealPage OneSite, Entrata, AppFolio) • Experience managing project tasks and deliverables within established project management frameworks • Experience with system integrations (APIs, middleware platforms) • Knowledge of data governance and compliance practices • Solid understanding of accounting principles related to property management • Experience with reporting tools (e.g., SQL, Power BI, Excel advanced functions) Additional Qualifications and Skills: • Experience providing tech support and performing user acceptance testing. • Experience managing a technical support team. • Strong communications skills, verbal and written, across all media: phone, email, in-person, and documentation. • Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external customers, vendors and other stakeholders. • Ability to lia